Religious leaders must pray for bloodless separation of Matabeleland and Zimbabwe

China's revered revolutionary, Mao Zedong, was spot on when he said, "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun". Zimbabwe is the product of the barrel of the gun so is the 2nd Republic that was born out of a military coup.

Mnangagwa, who fought in both struggles, that is, the war of Zimbabwe independence and the coup d'etat that ousted Robert Mugabe can attest to this. He knows too well that by ignoring loud calls for Matabeleland independence, he is playing a perilous  political game that shall not end well.

MLO President Cde Paul Siwela said it so well in a follow up letter to the Notice of Demand for the Restoration of Matabeleland State that was addressed to him as the President of Zimbabwe.

"Your Excellency, we are delighted to note that as someone who participated in Zimbabwe's struggle for national independence against the white colonial regimes, you fully understand the value of cooperation on matters like these in order to avoid unnecessary suffering. We also note that as someone who rose to power through unorthodox means when your predecessor could not open sufficient political space for you and your faction within the ruling Zanu PF, you will fully understand the consequences of trying to delay the inevitable," wrote Cde Paul Siwela.

The route of the gun and violence is not a monopoly of oppressors or selected few. It is available to anyone who is willing to use it and that includes Matabeles. If Zipra and its splinter military group Zanla  were able to pick up arms and liberate Zimbabwe, surely in a nation of over 5 million oppressed Matabeles there are young people who are more than willing to take up arms and liberate Matabeleland.

If it were not for the President of MLO Cde Paul Siwela who has to cool down angry young people everyday, Zimbabwe would have been a heap of ruble and black smoke by now.

His teaching is that Matabeleland cause should be guided by rationality than emotions and war mongering. Hence the Notice of Demand for the Restoration of Matabeleland State that was served to the British government under the then Prime Minister David Cameron and government of Zimbabwe under the then President Robert Mugabe in 2015  and the follow up letter thereof addressed to President Mnangagwa last year. But the people of Matabeleland are slowly losing patience.

To make things worse,  in past few days the media was awash with reports that the murderer of the people of Matabeleland, President ED Mnangagwa has "permitted" the people of Matabeleland to talk freely about Matabeleland genocide. "Permitted" the  orphans of the genocide to be issued with birth certificates. "Permitted" the issuance of death certificates for those that he killed. Who lied to the cold bloodied genocidist and told him that he has the power of God over the people of Matabeleland?

The most scary part of the devil's offer is that the government will facilitate  the exhumation and reburial of Matabeleland genocide victims. That is the perpetrator tempering with the crime scene! It is like throwing sand into our eyes.

All this will be done with the assistance of a civil society group (Matabeleland Collective), formed by  the state agents to provide soft landing for genocide perpetrators. The group brings together many NGOs most of which are well known money mongers in Matabeleland. Their leaders act as self appointed Kings and Queens of Matabeleland and can hardly work on a project without promises of  fat cheques.

According to Mabiza, also a Mnangagwa appointee from Mashonaland, Matabeleland genocide issue must be done with and brought to closure within a short space of not more than six months.

If I'm getting this well, within the said six months the government of Zimbabwe will provide large graders and caterpillars to open up shallow graves, old mine shafts and caves where Matabeleland genocide victims were buried by the Zimbabwe National Army 5th Brigade and the remains taken to a new site where they will be reburied. Just like that! No apology, no regret, no confession, no accountability and no justice.

If this misplaced process which is aimed at sanitising the bloodied Matabeleland genocide perpetrators is allowed to see light of day then the life of Matabeles would be  the cheapest and most valueless in the world.

All murderers in Zimbabwe and the world will think that they can murder as many innocent Matabeles as they like and bury them in shallow graves as long as they will later pledge to exhume and rebury their bones, they will be endowed with hero status.

MLO takes this as gross disrespect of both living and dead Matabeles. We have said it many times that the lives of Matabeles are in danger and that gets worse and serious with each day we spend under the Zimbabwe government.

All our efforts to facilitate a peaceful separation of Matabeleland and Zimbabwe have hit a brick wall and this latest back door deal with traitorous Matabeleland Collective is a none stater, it is provocation to say the least. We warn Matabeleland Collective to open their eyes and look around themselves, read the political weather, see that Emmerson Mnangagwa is panicking and deliberately putting them in the crossfire.

Are you a religious leader from Mashonaland, Matabeleland or any other part of the world? Pray for a bloodless separation of Zimbabwe aka Mashonaland and Matabeleland because all peaceful avenues have been closed by the Zimbabwe government.

Izenzo kungemazwi!

Israel Dube

MLO Secretary for Information and Public Affairs